Avic Ventilation..?

pordiem · Jan 30, 2009

Should an adult Avic Avic be ok in a large glass jar with 3-4 holes poked in the top of the lid or do they require more ventilation than that?

~pdm

Paulie B · Jan 30, 2009

I would replace the glass jar for a plastic one and put vent holes in the side of it aswell as the lid itself.

Protectyaaaneck · Jan 30, 2009

cross ventilation is important with avics...i would replace the glass w/ a plastic enclosure.

kurto · Jan 30, 2009

The Avic's likes good ventilation. So 3-4 hole for air are no good decision. Take plastic box and make hole's of the top of it and choose one side of the box and make 1/4 of it in litle holes. Or you can take one glass terarium and put net of the back side.

WARPIG · Jan 30, 2009

Avis are not as fragile as many make them out to be. I keep alot of avis and I keep them like this.

Slings less than an inch are kept in smal vials with holes punched in the lid.

Slings up to an inch

And Avis up to 3"

I tried an experiment, I placed an A vesi sling in a hobby cube with 'NO' substrate and 'NO' cross ventilation, only a few drilled holes in the lid and a year later I have a healthy 3" female versi.

Here she is with a recent molt in her web.

You notice she has no substrate, only a water dish. I did this juat as an experiment, and she has grown as well as her sac mates. So avis are not as delicate as many make them out to be. Now I am not advocating no cross ventilation, just that with proper care, avis are no less hardy than other arboreals.

On all my arboreals regardless of sp. as soon as they break 1.5" -2" I place them in hobby cubes with vent holes in the sides and a large vent in the top.

I hope this helps.

PIG-

equuskat · Jan 30, 2009

The trick, I think, is to not keep them in a swamp! Don't let water stagnate in their enclosures. Within a couple of days, the container should be able to dry out. Mold is detrimental to this species, in my experience. 3-4 holes wouldn't be enough...and I think that plastic is probably preferable to glass because more holes can be drilled. If you punch a LOT of holes in the lid, you will probably be fine, but 3-4 is insufficient.

That being said, I think WARPIG is pretty much right on. He's raised a bunch of avics and seems to do well with them.

Paramite · Jan 30, 2009

Ventilation is THE most important thing for Avics. It's much more important than constant high humidity. Mist once or twice a week, because they like to drink that way, and it doesn't matter if the enclosure dries up in 24 hours or so. They really don't need that much humidity.

They are arboreals, so they live in trees. It's much drier up there.

jharr · Feb 19, 2009

How do you feed that? Seems like lifting the lid is going to tear up the web. Do you have a feeding hole in the top? If so what is covering it?

WARPIG said:
I tried an experiment, I placed an A vesi sling in a hobby cube with 'NO' substrate and 'NO' cross ventilation, only a few drilled holes in the lid and a year later I have a healthy 3" female versi.

Here she is with a recent molt in her web.

Arachnoman · Feb 19, 2009

I saw these pictures somewhere else and its been the best housing pics ive seen yet for this species i really like the way they web there cage and how simple it is

this is definetly how i plan to house my full grown T

Loudog760 · Feb 20, 2009

Great info. I hope to get a few soon!

c'est ma · Feb 20, 2009

Any reason not to set those cubes up "upside down?" So that maybe the majority of the webbing would be undisturbed when opening? I've had great luck keeping a versi sling in an upside down vial...it's just as easy to unscrew a lid from the bottom as from the top, & the H20 dish sits nicely in the middle...

--Diane G.

Miss Bianca · Feb 20, 2009

c'est ma said:
Any reason not to set those cubes up "upside down?" So that maybe the majority of the webbing would be undisturbed when opening? I've had great luck keeping a versi sling in an upside down vial...it's just as easy to unscrew a lid from the bottom as from the top, & the H20 dish sits nicely in the middle...

--Diane G.

I agree...... my Avic's in perfectly cylindrical tupperware containers and they stand perfectly on the lid upside/openside down... their webs are never disturbed..

I'd like to see how Pig feeds'm.... didn't catch that...

gvfarns · Feb 22, 2009

c'est ma said:
Any reason not to set those cubes up "upside down?" So that maybe the majority of the webbing would be undisturbed when opening? I've had great luck keeping a versi sling in an upside down vial...it's just as easy to unscrew a lid from the bottom as from the top, & the H20 dish sits nicely in the middle...

--Diane G.

That's how I keep mine. I never disturb the web when putting in prey. Though I often think of making a hole in the top large enough to drop prey in but not large enough to let the T out. That way I wouldn't scare the T at all when putting prey in (it's rather frightening for an avic to be jiggled around as it must be when opening this type of hobby cube).

EDIT: Oops I thought you were talking about hobby cubes like the one in the above pictures.

c'est ma · Feb 22, 2009

gvfarns said:
That's how I keep mine. I never disturb the web when putting in prey. Though I often think of making a hole in the top large enough to drop prey in but not large enough to let the T out. That way I wouldn't scare the T at all when putting prey in (it's rather frightening for an avic to be jiggled around as it must be when opening this type of hobby cube).

EDIT: Oops I thought you were talking about hobby cubes like the one in the above pictures.

Well, actually, I started off talking about the cubes, but ended up talking about my vials.

I've had an A. versi in this set-up for ~ 3 months, now, and s/he's molted 3 times:

I melted vent holes with a soldering iron in the sides. I've gotten pretty good at holding the "top" (vial body) steady while untwisting the bottom (vial lid). The sling does not seem to mind me handling the vial much, tho--rather, s/he seems to think it signals "chow time!"

Here s/he is with a pretty big cricket! And an exuvium behind her that she wrapped up in webbing & left pretty inaccessible to me

:

From the top--cricket in mouth, exu behind her. When I'm not taking pics or feeding, I set another vial lid over the top of her set-up; seems to give her some security and maybe keep down the webbing on the top a little bit:

Here s/he is with a cricket in her mouth, eying another one. The lid behind the vial is usually on top of it. When I service her set-up, I unscrew the bottom lid, set the top of the vial (w/ spider) on the 2nd lid, then wash bottom lid & water dish & refill the latter. I've found that if I put a couple of tiny crickets in a film canister and shake them up a bit, then dump them into the fresh water dish, they remain stunned long enough for me to get the vial top back on the bottom lid. Then they clamber out--if the spidey hasn't already nailed them.

--Diane G.

Loudog760 · Feb 22, 2009

Great post!

deansie26 · Apr 8, 2009

nice set up

c'est ma said:
Well, actually, I started off talking about the cubes, but ended up talking about my vials. I've had an A. versi in this set-up for ~ 3 months, now, and s/he's molted 3 times:

I melted vent holes with a soldering iron in the sides. I've gotten pretty good at holding the "top" (vial body) steady while untwisting the bottom (vial lid). The sling does not seem to mind me handling the vial much, tho--rather, s/he seems to think it signals "chow time!"

Here s/he is with a pretty big cricket! And an exuvium behind her that she wrapped up in webbing & left pretty inaccessible to me :

From the top--cricket in mouth, exu behind her. When I'm not taking pics or feeding, I set another vial lid over the top of her set-up; seems to give her some security and maybe keep down the webbing on the top a little bit:

Here s/he is with a cricket in her mouth, eying another one. The lid behind the vial is usually on top of it. When I service her set-up, I unscrew the bottom lid, set the top of the vial (w/ spider) on the 2nd lid, then wash bottom lid & water dish & refill the latter. I've found that if I put a couple of tiny crickets in a film canister and shake them up a bit, then dump them into the fresh water dish, they remain stunned long enough for me to get the vial top back on the bottom lid. Then they clamber out--if the spidey hasn't already nailed them.

--Diane G.

Hey how do you unscrew bottom and leave the avic and leaves in place?

kbekker · Apr 8, 2009

Seems I often see people making reaching generalities about a diverse, wide ranging neotropical genus. There are >50 species in the genus Avicularia, in many habitats and regions. Yet it is often stated they need very specific humidity/ventilation.

What makes this genus of tarantula require more specific ventilation regimes than other neotrolpical arboreals? It is obviously not specific habitat.

I have maintained a couple with no ventilation (other than opening the lids) and they are fine.

Miss Bianca · Apr 13, 2009

kbekker said:
Seems I often see people making reaching generalities about a diverse, wide ranging neotropical genus. There are >50 species in the genus Avicularia, in many habitats and regions. Yet it is often stated they need very specific humidity/ventilation.

What makes this genus of tarantula require more specific ventilation regimes than other neotrolpical arboreals? It is obviously not specific habitat.

I have maintained a couple with no ventilation (other than opening the lids) and they are fine.

NO ventilation? Now how can that be beneficial?
That's definetely risking your Ts. I mean why have none?
Why go against the current of common recommendation?

c'est ma · Apr 13, 2009

deansie26 said:
Hey how do you unscrew bottom and leave the avic and leaves in place?

Well, it turned out like I'd hoped it would...I hold the top steady and untwist the bottom, and he stays in his webbing in the top. I keep an eye on him throughout the process to make sure I'm not lifting the top off just when he's decided to venture down...but that seldom is the case.

IME, once they have their web built, they like to retreat to it when uneasy...even tho I suspect he now anticipates food when I open his jar, he still prefers to stay in his web till I'm through manipulating his home...

Before this I had him in a right-side up vial, and EVERYTIME I opened it I had to tear his web open...both of us didn't like that.

Avic Ventilation..?

pordiem

Arachnopeon

Paulie B

Arachnobaron

Protectyaaaneck

Arachnoking

kurto

Arachnopeon

WARPIG

Arachnoangel

equuskat

Arachnoprince

Paramite

Arachnoprince

jharr

Arachnosquire

Arachnoman

Arachnosquire

Loudog760

Arachnoknight

c'est ma

Arachnobaron

Miss Bianca

Arachnoprince

gvfarns

Arachnoprince

c'est ma

Arachnobaron

Loudog760

Arachnoknight

deansie26

Arachnopeon

kbekker

Arachnoknight

Miss Bianca

Arachnoprince

c'est ma

Arachnobaron